Daily Delights // Tuesday
As news of the virus becomes more inescapable, I thought it would be helpful to just start noticing the good things, the blessings, and all the ways that I still feel God meeting me exactly where I’m at during this time of uncertainty. I’ll be sharing these things regularly as a reminder to me and as an encouragement for you to look for them in your life as well. God is over this and He’s in it with us. Here’s how that looked today.
A Photo From Today
For Lent this year, I am challenging myself to Andy Frisella’s 75 Hard Program which includes two 45 minute workouts a day. Not being able to go to the gym has really thrown a wrench into that plan, but we’ve been working out at home. Not the best quality photo, but as you can tell, Willow loves yoga days.
Good Tunes
The Crossing recently put together a playlist on Spotify of great songs to listen to to remember and rest in God’s peace. It’s been such a welcomed reminder to worship through all the feelings and uncertainty that this pandemic is bringing.
Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Clicks
A couple other distractions for you:
Your Next Book You Should Read Based on Your Favorite Flowers – HERE. FOR. IT. (And I always love a good recommendation outside my usual go-tos.)
Burn The Candles – I reread this article by Shauna Niequist every now and again to remind me to be delighted.
How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe – Just in case you’re like me and using this social distancing time to be productive around the house.
Emily P. Freeman – Emily hosts my current favorite podcast and has lots of awesome content on her website.
The Art of Noticing – Ali Edwards is hosting an event called “The Art of Noticing” with a simple concept of opening your eyes to things in your life that you might otherwise miss. Such good timing on this.
Social Distancing To Do List
Making lists has always been something I’ve done when worry of any kind creeps up and with the recent insanity with the coronavirus, it seems like a good way to stay mildly distracted and feel just a tiny bit more in control. Over here, we’ve been practicing social distancing for about a week and have been only going out when absolutely necessary. I’m definitely a “bright side” kind of gal, so I’ve just been taking stock of all of the positives that more rest and less on the to-do list brings instead of dwelling on all that we can’t control. So here are a few ideas on how I’ll be making the most of the extra time at home.
- Catch up on Project Life/scrapbooking projects
- Shred everything in the shred bin
- Host Zoom meetings or Group FaceTime hangs with friends
- Clean out closet and go through summer clothes
- Go on a photo walk
- Listen to a whole record in one sitting
- Do a face mask
- Take a bubble bath
- Do some yoga (currently watching: Yoga with Adriene)
- Sharpen my photography skills by testing out ISO/Av/exposure on a single subject
- Download a coloring book app on my iPad
- Watch a show on Netflix (current to watch list: The Circle, Love is Blind, Cheer, and Outlander)
- Meditate (using the Headspace App)
- Read all the unread books on my shelf (there are only about 6)
- Try Daily Pages with RUKristin
- Shop local and at our favorite small businesses
- Make a capsule wardrobe for spring
- Go down a YouTube rabbit hole – starting with minimalism videos
- Unplug for 24 hours (probably going to need it!)
- Work on my cross-stitch quilt
- Take an online course
- Try a new recipe
- Clean up the leaves in our yard
- Start planning my summer garden
- Make dog treats
- Make a watercolor painting
- Make a magazine collage journal
What’s on your to-do list as you practice social distancing?
Weekend Wrap Up – Hamilton Edition #2
I’ve been trying to properly summarize this past weekend with my friends in Hamilton. It was good for my soul, real life, deep conversations. Slowing down while the snow was falling was exactly what I needed.
Click here to read my other Hamilton Weekend Wrap Up.
The Year of Open + 2020 Goal Setting
Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe we’re standing toe to toe with a new year and decade. As I have the last couple years, I’ve been thinking through my goals and intentions for 2020 with Lara Casey’s PowerSheets. It’s such an amazing tool to cultivate what matters and count fruit – even if it feels small.
My process of setting goals, always starts out with a word that I feel like the Lord is whispering to me. This year, I was telling Kevin his word should be “open” although I had no reason why and then I took it back because in that exact moment I was like, actually that’s my word. It was the most interesting way of a word coming up for me but I’m excited to run with it. As I let the word marinate through December, open really felt like an invitation for me. Here is the note I took on my phone over the course of a couple weeks:
- Open is an invitation to let my guard down, to experience vulnerability, and to invite people in.
- Open is an invitation into wonder and delight. To get outside, go for drives, and take in the natural beauty around me.
- Open is an invitation to enjoy rhythms over routines. To try new things. To allow flexibility and spontaneity.
- Open is an invitation to dig deeper into God’s word and truly experience solitude with the Lord.
- Open is an invitation to really live in the margins. To stop scrolling and spend my time doing things that fill my cup.
- Open is an invitation to a peaceful, deep, and joy-filled 2020.
Here are my 2020 Goals for the year of OPEN.
Goal 1: Prioritize my health – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, environmental, and social.
Why? To change the trajectory of my life. To live strong. To be who God made me to be.
The positive affect taking action on this goal may have on me and others: Taking action on this goal will affect all areas of my life, decision making, sleep, energy levels and, of course, the people around me.
Mini Goals:
- Create good nutrition habits and portion sizes.
- Move my body and challenge myself in my workouts.
- Decrease stress through simplification and removing barriers of decision making.
- Purchase more second-hand and ethically sourced items.
Starting Steps (and when I’ll do them): download new app for tracking food (12/29); try a cycling class (1/2020); add workouts to my calendar weekly (1/2020)
Encouraging Words: 1 Corinthians 10:41, Psalm 23:1-6, Philipians 4:8
Goal 2: Allow open to be an invitation to live intentionally.
Why? Being open to change and vulnerability as well as growth of faith will help me to be a better follower of Christ who deeply and intentionally impacts the lives of others.
The positive affect taking action on this goal may have on me and others: Taking action on this goal will allow me to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit, glorify the Lord, and bear fruit in my life and that of others.
Mini Goals:
- Experience solitude with God through Bible reading and deeper prayer.
- Choose vulnerability with my people to go deeper in relationships.
- Love on my people by celebrating and hosting them well.
- Invest in daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly rhythms over routines.
Starting Steps (and when I’ll do them): clean off my desk/raskog cart (12/31); order Hobonichi Weeks to be used for Bible Study, gratitude, and church notes (12/30); create a social media mantra (2/2020); plan a trip to see Brittany and Taylor (1/2020)
Encouraging Words: Ephesians 5:15-17, Hebrews 10:24-25, 1 Timothy 4:15-16, Matthew 11:30
There you have it! I can’t wait to see where open takes me in 2020!
2019 Year in Review
Happy 2020! I just love the fresh start feeling of the New Year as it’s always a great reminder to reflect and celebrate victories of the previous year, or in this case the previous decade. Each year, I look forward to these posts as a way to count the fruit. You can read previous posts here: 2018 and 2017.
January
- I kicked off my One Little Word rest in hopes of prioritizing resting secure in God, cultivating a life of less, drawing from an overflow of rest, listening to my body and heard, and resting and rejoicing in growth and change.
- Our sweet Chloe turned 5!
- We survived snowpocalypse 2019 – about 20 inches of snow.
- I started watching The Office after finishing up Friends in 2018.
- Kevin and I tried some new restaurants. Le Bao and 44 Canteen were two of our favorites.
- We were regulars at Fuzzy’s Trivia on Thursday nights.
February
- I started meeting with a counselor on a weekly basis.
- I went to California with Mom and Grandma to celebrate my cousin Mia’s birthday. I was in love with the lemon trees growing fruit in the winter.
- My small group friends and I make prayer binders for a craft night.
- I made the best watch face of all time.
- I worked lots of overtime.
March
- Kevin and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary the best way we know how – with some amazing food!
- I created a gallery wall (with my absolute favorite photos) that brings a smile to my face every single time I see it.
- We tried Mod Pizza with our friends, Jeff and Taylor. Somehow I ended up with dairy free cheese.
- I started using Monat hair products and saw huge changes in my curls.
April
- We celebrated our Three Year Highridge Ranch-iversary. I just love this space that’s all ours.
- Our friend, Taylor, moved in with us. It was such a sweet season of spending time together and watching all the Bachelorette and Fixer Upper.
- I ripped out the roses in our front garden beds.
May
- Taylor and Jeff left Columbia for the last time as residents.
- Kevin and I bought a Honda CRV!
- I listened to Sabbath Practice podcast from Bridgetown Church (it was amazing!).
- The Stanley Cup Finals put me in a state of anxiety during every single game.
- I took a watercoloring class with Bohemia’s School of Artistry and learned so much about light and blending.
June
- WE WON THE STANLEY CUP!
- We went to the Stanley Cup parade in Downtown St. Louis – the best.
- Books Read: The Five Intentions: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully, Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Bread Bad Ones, The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own, and Everybody Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People, The Path Between Us: An Enneagram Journey to Healthy Relationships
July
- We celebrated 4th of July in Hamilton with Sarah, Cole, Andrew, Alexa, and Josh.
- We went to Weston, MO for a distillery tour, delicious BBQ, and cave bars.
- We celebrated Grandma’s 75th Birthday!
- I committed to volunteering with Compass 31.
- Book Read: Girl, Stop Apologizing
August
- I celebrated my 28th Birthday (and make white chocolate raspberry cheesecake to celebrate!)
- Mom and Dad took the family to the Lake of the Ozarks for a long weekend.
- Kev’s students moved to campus and he officially became “coach”.
- We wrapped up the month with the annual Family Golf Tournament.
- Kevin and I invested in a record player and spent time searching for gems at the record store in town. Our faves: Eric Church, Billy Joel, and Paul Simon.
- Kevin got me a legit Poloroid camera.
- I graduated from weekly counseling to only going on an as needed basis.
- Books Read: The Coddling of the American Mind, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, A Love Letter Life: Pursue Creatively. Date Intentionally. Love Faithfully.
September
- Kevin and I celebrated 10 years together!
- Willow gets a forever home and Chloe gets a new best friend.
- My first Compass 31 product launch went live with all new products in their shop.
- I started leading a college juniors small group at our home.
October
- Sarah and Cole sold their house next door and officially move; it was the most sad.
- We helped host a dope homecoming tailgate.
- First snow of the season (WHY THOUGH?)
- My team celebrates me well with Ketchup on Bosses Day.
- Books Read: Afraid of All the Things, Just Open the Door: How One Invitation Can Change a Generation
November
- Kevin’s Rocket League team wons the NACE Championship and was undefeated in their inaugural season!
- We put up the Christmas Tree.
- I participated in the Live2Lead Event at work and got to see Rachel Hollis speak – I’m a fan.
- We spent Thanksgiving with Claire and Michael and I made my first pumpkin pie.
- I went to VU’s Feast Forum and got teary-eyed over the gratitude and goodness of my workplace. I’m so thankful.
- I spent Black Friday with Grandma and we shopped til we dropped.
- I tried my hand at cooking vegan at home and found some new recipes to incorporate into our regular routine.
- Book Read: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
December
- I watched 12 Christmas movies before Christmas.
- I completely caught up on Project Life – so now I have printed photos from 2013 – present.
- Mom and I dressed our dogs up in matching PJs.
- VU hosted an incredible Holiday Party, as always!
- We made gingerbread houses at work.
- Books Read: Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service, In His Image, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World